Hellen Plaschinski Farca de Finkler is a world-record holding Mexican freestyle swimmer. She was part of a round trip English Channel crossing from England to France that set a world record of 18 hours 59 minutes in 2007. Because of this result, the Mexican relay team was inducted in the book of the Guinness World records in 2008. In 2008, Hellen participated in a swimming relay race around the island of Manhattan in which she placed first. She also set meet records at the Central American and Caribbean Games and won two bronze medals at the 1979 Pan American Games. She won first place in 100-meter freestyle at Copa Latina, in Madrid, 1980, breaking a new meet record, earning her place in the Mexican Olympic team for the Moscow Olympics. Fastest latinoamerican swimmer in the world.

Hellen represented Mexico in the 1980 Olympic Games qualifying to the final in the freestyle relay placing sixth. In 1980, Hellen was inducted to the Ft Lauderdale International Swimming Hall of Fame in Florida, her name is inscribed in a trophy called Cabeza de Palenque. She won three gold medals at the 1977 and 1981 Maccabiah Games, 2 in 100m freestyle, breaking two Maccabiah records and one in the 200m freestyle. Hellen also won one silver and one bronze in 100m breaststroke. She was honored with the National Sports Award by Mexican President Lopez Portillo in 1978. In 2019 during the opening ceremony of the Pan American Maccabiah Games in Mexico City, Hellen was the torch bearer and lit the Maccabiah flame.